A 12-year-old boy died and an 11-year-old girl was critically injured after falling through the ice in a New York City park

In Washington Square Park on Sunday afternoon, a 12-year-old boy fell through a sheet of ice and died, while an 11-year-old girl is very ill.

Around 4:35 p.m., police were summoned to Washington Square Park after hearing reports that multiple kids had fallen through a layer of ice close to the park’s lake house, according to NBC News.

The outlet claims that once authorities found the girl, she was sent to Albany Medical Center Hospital, where she is still in critical condition.

Later, an underwater recovery team was sent by the NYPD to retrieve the boy’s body. The identities of both victims are yet unknown.

Police in Albany say they think the youngster was attempting to get to the lake house when he fell through the ice. Police think the girl fell through the ice while attempting to assist him. According to the Albany City School District, both kids went to North Albany Middle School.

In a statement, Superintendent Joseph Hochreiter said, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of these students during this extremely trying time.” As a school community, we are hurting over this horrible event.

When classes start on Monday, crisis resources will be accessible for anyone who require them, the district said.

“This kind of incident hasn’t happened in a long time,” Albany Fire Chief Joseph Gregory told the Times Union. Hopefully, everyone will abide by the regulations and avoid the ice.

In addition, the mayor of the town released a statement on the terrible mishap. Mayor Kathy Sheehan released a statement saying, “My thoughts are with the families of both young residents involved in the deadly incident at Washington Park Lake.”

The tragic events of yesterday served as a warning of the dangers that can arise in any body of water, particularly when temperatures drop and thin ice forms. I would want to express my gratitude to the New York State Police Dive Team for their support in recovery efforts and to all of the first responders who put in many hours yesterday night to rescue the lives of two children.

Gregory offers a number of strategies for avoiding failure. There is no consistent inch-thickness of ice that guarantees it is safe to walk on, according to the fire chief.

Gregory added that because of the present temperature fluctuations, all ice surfaces are unstable.

Gregory advises staying away from any frozen surface that has slush on it as well. According to Gregory, slush ice does not freeze from the bottom because it is just half as strong as clear ice.

Gregory ends by telling people to contact 911 right now if they fall through the ice.

The man advises throwing a rope, jumper cables, or tree branch for the person to grasp onto if you can’t get to them from shore.

If that doesn’t work, the man advises you to get help instead of trying to save them on the ice. Seek immediate medical attention for the victim.

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